Tottenham boss Antonio Conte settles on 'No 1 striker target' ahead of January window

Antonio Conte is already said to be drawing up Tottenham's plan of action for the upcoming January transfer window.

Posted Sunday, October 23, 2022 by Express.co.uk

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is planning a mid-season raid on Serie A in order to bring his first-choice striker target to the club in January, according to reports. The north Londoners are reportedly keen on adding some extra firepower to their ranks when the transfer market reopens and have been linked with a number of high-profile names over the last few weeks.

The likes of Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Sesko have been mentioned in connection with Tottenham as of late, but it seems as though Conte already has his sights firmly set on another player as he draws up his plan of action for the January window. The Italian coach has identified Napoli marksman Victor Osimhen as his main attacking target and will have plenty of money to spend on his signature at the turn of the year, according to Italian transfer expert Enrico De Lellis.

"In addition to his [Conte’s] salary, he will have a budget of around €200million [£174.4m]," De Lellis told Calciomercato. "There are rumours about Lautaro, but the real name that Conte told [Fabio] Paratici is Osimhen.

"The Napoli striker is also very popular with Bayern Munich and Manchester United, although the Germans closely follow Sesko as well. Their policy is to carry out operations under £100m, consequently Osimhen is a secondary option.

Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on signing Victor Osimhen in the January window

"The Nigerian is the classic Premier League footballer and it turns out to be the real goal of Tottenham, but it will be necessary to understand his will. He is demanding for the future and not only from an economic point of view."

A move for Osimhen would likely see Tottenham forced to pay a nine-figure transfer fee in exchange for his services, with Napoli reportedly set to demand around £102m in order to let him leave. However, it remains to be seen whether their asking price will increase in the event of a mid-season approach from Tottenham if Conte decides against waiting until the end of the season to launch an official bid.

It seems as though Osimhen would be more than happy to stay at Napoli, though, after leading the line for them with a total of four goals from eight games in all competitions since the beginning of the campaign. His agent, Roberto Calenda, insisted earlier this week that Osimhen has no plans to leave his current club as things stand but admitted that the ever-changing nature of the market means that nothing can be categorically ruled out.

"We haven't found out now that Osimhen is the subject of interest from so many teams, but things are done in threes: who sells, who buys and the player," Calenda told Radio Kiss Kiss.

"I was immediately clear this summer because I knew there would be a lot of news coming out from those who had other interests perhaps, but I, the boy and Napoli had very clear ideas. Whoever talked about a departure made a mistake. It was Victor’s will to stay at Napoli and play the Champions League that he won entry to last year together with his team-mates.

"Victor wanted exactly that, to have a great year with Napoli, between the league and the Champions League. He has a long contract with the Azzurri. The market is dynamic, but our will is to continue at Napoli and continue to do well."